The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-29
A SPOOL or THREAD.
Whist Cotton Goes Through Before 1t
Reaches tire Needle.

Whist Cotton Goes Through Before 1t
Reaches tire Needle.
Few people ever stop to think Of the
twisting5 and turnings and the various
processes that cotton fiber goes through
after it is taken from the pods before 1t is
wound up ON spool and ready for the
housewives needle. The whole story Is
told, however, in a small space in one of
the eases in the hall in the National
museum given up to an exhibition of
textile fabrics. This is one of the many
object lessons in the museum, which,
combined. are intended to tell the story
of a man as he exists ON the earth.
First Is shown specimen of cotton in
the pod just as it is picked, without hav-
ing the seed removed. Next is shown a
specimen of the same cotton after it has
been ginned and the black seeds have been
removed. The Sea Island cotton is used
for thread on account of the length of the
fiber. A sample of the sacking in which
the cotton is baled is also shown. Then
the cotton is supposed to have been hailed
and shipped to the thread factory. Here
the first thing that is done with the cot
ton is to subject it to the picker" pro-
cess, by which the cotton from several
bales Is mixed to secure uniformity. Dur
ing the picker process much waste, in the
form of dust, dirt and short fibers, are
separated from the good fbers by the
picker. Next the picked" cotton is
wound on a machine, in sheets or laps,
into a roll.
Tee next process illustrated Dy prac-
teal exhibit is the carding by which the
sheets of cotton are combed or run out
into long parallel fibers. The cotton is
next seen drawn through trumpet
shaped opening, Srhich condenses it into
single strand or SILVER" Then eight
such silvers are run together into one, six
of the strands thus produced are drawn
into one, and again six of the strands
from the last drawing are combined into
one. Then comes the slubbing or fast
growing" process, which consists of wind
ing the strand and bobbin. Two strands
are twisted and again wound on a bObbin.
After a number of other twistings and
windings, during which the strand is
gradually reduced in size, until it begins
to assume a thread like appearance, two
strands of this fine rowing are run to-
gether and twisted, under considerable
tension, ON a bObbin that makes 1000
revolutions minute. Two of the cords
thus produced are then wound together on
a spool, and then twisted from that to
another spool. The two cord thread thus
produced is transferred thence to another
spool, and then three threads of two cords
each are twisted together, forming six
cord thread.
One who has followed the process sees
the cotton gradually transformed from
wide band or sheet of loose cotton to
compact thread that will pass through
the eye of a needle. The six cord thread
is at last taken from a bobbin and reeled
into skein. in which form it is bleached
or dyed. Then it is wound back upon
the skein upon a big spool, from which
it is supplied to little white birch spoOls
from which it is wound in regular
courses, and is then ready for the market.
The machine that regulates the last wind
ing measures the number of yards wound
on each spool The spoOls are made of
various sizes to hold from 200 to IL. 900
yards of thread. The labels that dec
crate the end of the spools when they are
sold are last put on They are cut and
pasted on by machinery with great
rapidity. Washington star.